Tips You Should Not Miss for Your DIY Basement Bathroom 

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Tips You Should Not Miss for Your DIY Basement Bathroom 

As the homeowner, you have to be prepared for the changes that will eventually come with having a family. People do grow, and so do their needs. 

Needing more space requires time and money, two things that don’t come easy. Home renovations cost either more or less depending on how you take control of the project and how you plan every detail. The better you plan, the more chances you have of not blowing up your budget.  

Any kind of addition to your humble abode will always cost extra. But you don’t have to spend that much if you do it right. With bathrooms, there are a few guide questions you need to have a thorough answer to before diving into the project. 

Do you find yourself constantly having to use your trump card as the daddy, mommy, older brother or sister, or younger brother or sister to use the bathroom first every morning? During evenings even? Do you have the budget to undertake such a project? Do you have enough space to build one even? 

If your answers to the questions above are mostly yes, then you do need a bathroom. 

  The general rule is that a family household of five needs at least two bathrooms. If you’re more than that, then it’s time to start thinking about repurposing that extra space in your basement. Here’s a quick guide for you to know the challenges involved in having an additional bathroom and how you can prepare and save on costs. 

  Secure Your Permit 

 No matter how good your intention may be, it won’t matter unless you have the permit to build. When you’re done with the plan, get a contractor involved in the project, and secure the necessary permits. Do away with the paperwork so it won’t cause you any delay once you’ve started.  

Contractors are familiar with building codes, so it’s always practical to get them on board. Do the necessary background checks; make sure they are licensed and insured. Though they do cost more because of their knowledge and expertise, you won’t have to hire them for every task involved in the entire project.   

You can get them to help you with some of the work, those that you can’t do by yourself, to shave off a few dollars from your budget. Take on the DIY tasks like laying out the tiles or painting the walls or other stuff like setting up the basement bathroom plumbing, if you think you are pretty handy enough to carry out a job like that.   

Prepare a Contingency Fund  

When it comes to renovation, you can get your hands on as many DIY books as you can and absorb as much as possible, but there will always be surprises along the way especially if it’s your first time to try DIY renovations. Somewhere along the build, it’s not uncommon to find yourself stuck. 

This is why your commitment to the project is important—you have to let yourself learn as you go and expect a few difficult choices that you will have to make. You have to push on even when the going gets tougher and tougher.   

Since you’ll be taking up the basement, expect it to be more costly than building up. You’ll have to consider excavation costs and, depending on the structure of your house, the necessity to pour in added foundation to the ground.  

And when a problem comes up, you can either go cheap or go expensive all the way. But who wants to go cheap on something that you’d be living in for the long haul? Always prioritize the long-term consequence than the short-term solution.   

Treat the People You Work with Well  

Construction projects depend on people. You can expect plenty of stumbles during the build as you will be dealing with and paying for manpower with a different sense of time and urgency. You also have to deal with your own timeline and make them all fit somehow to get the project done on time. Delays in construction equate to more costs.   

Most DIY practitioners have expressed dismay over not taking into account the impact of hospitality. Even the best architects or engineers make mistakes too. Other than weather conditions, accidents that can cause delays sometimes happen.   

It is important that you do not commit that mistake. When you treat your contractors right, it will make construction run smoother and easier. In the morning, greet them with coffee or bagels. Maybe at the end of the day or week, you can offer them some beers to cheer them up and make them feel you value their work. 

A little kindness here and there never hurt anyone. And when the going gets tougher, it will be easier to overcome them together.